WHAT A WINNER
Self-employed dad, 38, scoops EuroMillions £58m jackpot – and his whole family will retire
THE lucky British winner of Friday's £58million EuroMillions jackpot has been revealed today as a dad-of-one - whose family can now retire.
Self-employed Ryan Hoyle had to drive over to his parents to confirm the big win as he couldn't believe his luck after looking at the numbers.
5
5
The massive prize means the 38-year-old joiner is now £6million richer than Harry Potter actress Emma Watson - and the 20th richest on the National Lottery richlist.
Ryan, from Rochdale, who has an 11-year-old daughter, said: “I always wake up early and was sat on the edge of my bed but couldn’t work out what I was looking at.
"The email linked to my account which looked like a lot of numbers and I thought it might be millions but I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. I couldn’t make sense of it and really needed to talk to someone so I called Mum and Dad.
"It was 6am so they assumed that I had locked myself out of the flat somehow as it has happened before.
“I was shaking and really needed a second opinion so I jumped in the van and drove round to Mum and Dad’s house.
"I stuck to the government guidelines and kept a safe distance outside and passed the phone through the window for them to double-check for me.
"They even checked my numbers against another website, just to be sure. It was real – I had won £58M!”
THE WORLD'S FIVE BIGGEST LOTTO WINS
- £1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history’s biggest lottery prize
- £1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline
- £633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin
- £625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017
- £575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018
As a self-employed joiner of 15 years, Ryan’s been working on his brother’s house in his spare time, and plans to finish the job.
He added: “I’m nearly done so will see the job through. After that, who knows? Not sure I need the work at the moment!
“Right now I’m not focused on spending it on myself. I’m going to see the family right as well as my closest friends. Mum works at the local school as a cleaner and has been struggling with a sore hip for years, so it would be great to see her take early retirement straight away.
"She was down for a hip replacement but all operations are on hold at the moment due to the Coronavirus crisis, so maybe I can help with that too.
FAMILY TIME
"And this win means my Dad can stop working at the factory by the end of the week too.
“It’s also been a tough time for one of my brothers who recently suffered a brain haemorrhage.
"He is a digger driver and was due back at work soon, so I can help him now and it means he’s not forced to go back to work. Basically Mum, Dad and my brother can all retire this week.”
Ryan usually takes his daughter to Spain each year, but when the travel restrictions are lifted he plans to take her waterparks in Florida and Disneyland.
Friday night’s National Lottery EuroMillions winning numbers were 16, 28, 32, 37 and 45 - while the Lucky Stars are 1 and 11.
Record winners from the UK include Colin and Chris Weir, from Largs in North Ayrshire, Scotland, who won £161million in 2011.
And last week it was revealed last month's winner was also a Brit from South Ayrshire, Scotland.
Other previous big wins include the £161million landed in 2011 by Colin Weir and wife Chris from Largs in North Ayrshire.
Patrick and Frances Connolly, from Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, won £114.9million on New Year’s Day last year.
And Adrian and Gillian Bayford, from Suffolk, took home more than £148million in 2012.
5
5
5
EuroMillions winner claims £170M jackpot - the UK's biggest ever payout